On the heels of the heavily applauded ad Pantene released illustrating the stereotypes of how men vs. women are viewed (Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said the message it sends is one of the most powerful she’s ever seen), it’s only fitting to introduce yet another young, powerful woman who’s joined as their latest spokesperson: Mikaela Shiffrin.
Touted to be a likely pick for Team USA, Shiffrin won the slalom title at the world championships in Schaldming, Austria at just 17, becaming skiing’s youngest female world champion since 1985. Although heavily preparing for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the bright-eyed Shiffrin was game for some beauty and food questions from Beauty and the Feast!
Beauty and the Feast: As the new spokesperson for Pantene, what’s your own personal earliest memory of the brand?
Mikaela Shiffrin: From the time I was a little girl, I remember seeing Pantene everywhere in our bathroom. Pretty much immediately after I stopped using baby shampoo, I started using Pantene. I’ve switched back and forth through the years, trying to find something that tames my unruly hair. But I keep coming back to the brand because it makes my hair feel more soft than anything else does.
BATF: What products do you like to use on your skin to keep it from being dry in the harsh, cold conditions that you ski in?
Shiffrin: Every night before I go to bed, I put on the Olay Night Fortifying Cream, lots of it. When I wake up, I slather on the Olay All Day Moisture Cream. Then I mix it with the CoverGirl CC cream so I can even out my skin tone. After skiing all day, my skin tone is like 5 different shades. It gives me extra hydration and a more an even tone and pretty looking skin.
BATF: What is your daily beauty routine like?
Shiffrin: I just put on a tiny bit of light colored blush and a little bit of black eye liner. It’s simple, but it brings out my best features. I feel so much more confident taking helmet and goggles off. I don’t look like I’ve been skiing all day – the products last throughout training session.
BATF: How do you combat helmet hair?
Shiffrin: It’s just something that I live with! I spray a little bit of Pantene’s Flexible Hold Hairspray, before I go out, just at roots. It stays in my hair, pretty much all day. Then, after I take off my helmet, I just pull up at my roots a little bit and the helmet hair pretty much disappears.
BATF: What are some foods you always like to incorporate in your diet as an athlete?
Shiffrin: I have Barilla plus pasta at every single meal, but not an entire dish of pasta. Many people think of athletes carb-loading and having a huge bowl of pasta with 2000 calories. I don’t do that. It’s more of a side dish, that complements the protein and I have a little bit of salad. Barilla Plus has extra protein so it helps replenish my muscles.
BATF: What are some beauty products that will be traveling with you to Sochi the Winter Olympics?
Shiffrin: I’ll be bringing the Pantene Repair & Protect collection. They have rough water there so it will help keep my hair looking good. I’ll also bring Smoochies lip balm. It’s a natural lip color, so it doesn’t look like I’m trying so hard to look good. I’ll also be bringing the face creams I mentioned earlier.
BATF: What’s the best beauty advice you’ve gotten from your mom?
Shiffrin: Moisturize! The very first thing I remember her telling me about beauty was to make sure to put on your lotion and make sure you are moisturizing your skin every day. I remember sneaking into her bathroom to put on her lotion.
BATF: You’ve accomplished a lot at such a young age…where does your confidence and focus stem from?
Shiffrin: My confidence is a work in progress and it will continue to be so. When I was little, my family loved sports. Sports were family activities. I started skiing because I had a passion for family time and that turned into a passion for the sport. Then, it evolved into a passion for training, then racing and loving the competitive atmosphere. It stemmed from having a love for what I was doing. My advantage was I fell in love with everything I did, because we did it as a family.
BATF: Finally, what’s your best advice to aspiring professional athletes?
Shiffrin: My advice to aspiring professional athletes is to make sure you love whatever you are doing. And if you don’t, then tone it back or find something about it that you can love. You are never going to love everything you do, it’s always going to be tough, but if you find your passion, then it’s always going to be worth it. It can be a painful process sometimes, but if you love it than it’s worth it.
Thanks so much for the interview, Mikaela!
x
Shy
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